What does Apples's WWDC 2017 have to do with everyday Apple product users? Everything! The WWDC is often the first place where Apple will unveil its revolutionary new products. This year was no different, and Apple introduced the HomePod. The HomePod is a powerful new speaker concept that integrates Apple Music and Siri to allow you to listen to your playlist using only voice commands - and much more.

The Outstanding features of HomePod in WWDC 2017

What if you could listen to your music seamlessly, without needing to use a touch interface and without needing to fiddle with any buttons? This is the reality of the HomePod speaker. All you need to do is ask for your favorite songs. In a lot of ways, the HomePod was a response to the popularity of other voice-controlled speakers released by Amazon and Google.

The HomePod has many premium features, and these include:

Extremely fast buffering when streaming music. It never skips a second, and it offers a seamless listening experience.

Acoustics analysis. HomePod automatically investigates the acoustics of the room you’re in so that it can deliver the best possible sound. The speakers are engineered to sound great no matter where you are in the room.

Intuitive voice commands. HomePod uses Siri, so you can simply ask it to play whichever song you want, and it will do so.

Extremely high quality speakers. HomePod includes premium speakers and it features technology like echo cancellation to make the sound as crisp as possible.

A microphone that can always hear you - even over the music. HomePod uses beamforming so that you will always be heard, no matter where you are in the room.

A small, compact design that nonetheless delivers high quality sound. It doesn’t take up much space at all, at only 7 inches tall.

It will learn your taste in music. HomePod is a smart device that will note the types of things you like to listen to and deliver suggestions.

It can answer everyday questions. Just as with Siri, you can ask, “Is a tomato a fruit or a vegetable?” and you will get an answer.

With Apple’s HomeKit, you can control your house. Do you want a voice-controlled smart house? You can use HomePod to turn the lights on and off, shutter the blinds, and other household tasks that usually require using your hands.

Of course, as with any other product, there are going to be some disadvantages according to Apple's WWDC 2017:

There is no touch interface. If you prefer a visual interface, to be able to deal with settings and other low-level mechanics, then this isn’t the product for you.

It only works with Apple Music. You cannot use music from other sources, and you definitely can’t play music that you downloaded for free off the Internet or you purchased from Amazon or Google.

It’s always listening. A problem that a lot of people justifiably have with smart devices like HomePod is that it is always listening for your commands - this also means that it could be a potential security concern. If hackers were to somehow gain access to your HomePod, they could conceivably listen to your private conversations.

A Comparison of Apple HomePod with Amazon's Echo and Google Home

Amazon Echo, Google Home, and HomePod are all similar devices that try to achieve the similar goal of being an audio device that is easy to use with voice commands. The obvious differences, however, are that they use different services to achieve these ends.

With HomePod, you have to use Apple Music. With Amazon Echo, though, you have access to Amazon Music, Audible, and you can play music from external sources using bluetooth. In other words, you can use other music devices that you have in conjunction with Echo, and play saved music that you downloaded. You can’t do this with Google Home or HomePod.

In practice, they all work great as household assistants. They can answer questions, save a voice-commanded list or schedule, and offer smart home options. It really comes down to which service you prefer. Are you an Apple person, a Google person, or an Amazon person?

Tips to Manage Apple Home Music in iOS 11

If you want a bit more control or freedom when it comes to your home music, you can just use your music player with an external bluetooth speaker instead. Using software like iMyFone TunesMate, you can build up your home music collection, whether or not you purchased the music from Apple.

TunesMate allows you control over your Apple devices in a way that iTunes simply doesn’t. If you really want the home smart device experience, you can combine a consolidated playlist that you build using TunesMate with a more open device like Amazon Echo.

Final Thought

The HomePod is revolutionary when it comes to the quality of its audio technology. It is a device that adapts its acoustics and delivers superior sound. On the other hand, it’s not a very open device if you want to listen to music outside of the Apple ecosystem. If you want a bit more freedom, you might consider using TunesMate to build up your music library and using a smart device like Amazon Echo that allows you to play music from external sources.